1. Field of the Invention
A hand pecan harvester which is both economical to construct and simple to use is provided which enables pecan gatherers to efficiently collect pecans which have fallen to the ground. The invention is particularly concerned with a pecan harvester having a handle and a harvesting/storage component so that the gatherer may walk erectly to collect pecans within the hopper of the harvesting/storage component. Laterally biased spring like bails are attached to mounting brackets on opposing walls of the hopper and lie in parallel, vertical planes. Stretches at the bottom of each bail extend across and are coplanar with the bottom of the hopper. Pecans may enter the hopper by biasing the bottom stretches of the bails laterally to pass therebetween, and are retained in the hopper when the bails, held by mounting brackets, return to their original position.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In many parts of the southern half of the United States, the pecan tree grows native or has been planted and cultivated by man. The value of its nuts as a commercial commodity has long been recognized and many large commercial organizations operate profitably in the pecan collecting business through the use of large pieces of machinery to shake the tree and collect the fallen pecan nuts on large fabric sheets. Pecans which have fallen to the ground are smooth shelled nuts as opposed to walnuts and other nuts with a pulp over the shell and thus ready for use or sale when gathered.
However, the pecan is also a valued resource for individuals cultivating only a few trees and those who gather the pecans from native forests. In such circumstances, the gatherer has long been forced to stoop and bend to gather nuts from unprepared ground. The ground may be muddy or the pecans may be scattered among leaves, twigs or branches which have fallen to the ground. This is especially burdensome during extended gathering and for the elderly gatherer.
A prior gathering tool which included an unrestrained coil spring on a handle has been proven ineffective in gathering pecans from the ground. These earlier devices failed to provide a hopper to store the pecans until the tool could be emptied. Additionally, the unrestrained coils were ineffective in picking up the pecans from the ground. As a result, many or most who have acquired the prior tool have abandoned it in favor of collecting the pecans by hand.